Wellington adams



(No Model.)

W. ADAMS.

BLEGTMG SWITGHl Patented Oct. 2, 1883.

LAJ

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

`YVELLINGTON ADAMS, OF- ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRlC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forining part of Letters Patent No. 285,778, dated October 2, 1883.

Application filed Marc-11 20, 1883. (No model.)

TO all whom L'b may/ concern:

Be it known that I, WELLINGTON Anatis, of St. Louis, in tlie eounty of St. Louis and State of Missouri, liave invented certain new aiid useful lniproveiiients in Switches for Electric Currents; aiid I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accoiiipaiiyiiig drawings, and to the letters of io reference niarked thereon, whicli form part of this specification.

Tlie preseiit invention relates to improveiiient iii devices for regnlatiiig the passage of electric currents froni a inain conductor to a i 5 workiiig-'resistance; aiid it consists in a switcli by nieans of or through which iiiore or less current niay be allowed to pass without put-' tiiig useless resistance into the worlecircuit.

In the acconipanying drawings, Figure 1 2o shows a side elevation, part] y in section, of the regulator itself, together witli its iiecessary connections. Fig. 2 is a detail view, showing the general construction of oiie of the traveling contact-brushes.

A represeiits abox, of any suitable constructioii, within which is placed a cyliiidrical tube, B, of vulcaiiite or other suitable insulating material. Above the tube B is placed a riiig, C, of aiiy suitable coiiductin g iii aterial. Upon Ho the riiig O is placed a similar riiig, D, of insulating niaterial. The riiigs O and D alternate until any desired number-ein this case three pairshave been secured together, the whole forniing a straight tube, E. To each one of the 3 5 riiigs C is attaclied a wire, c, which sliould be of relatively liigh resistance, and the said wires are electrieally connected to brushes F, that are in the form of cylinders, provided with yielding or elastic eontact-springs extending froni their 4o sides, which construction adapts the cylinders to beinoved loiigitudinally iii the conductingtubes G, which are slitted loiigitudiiially, to

allow the uninterrupted passage of a link or hook proj ecting from the traveling contact, to

4 5 which projections the wires c are attached, as

is more fully described in aii application for Letters Patent filed by me March 26, 1883.

By nieaiis of a suitably-pivoted lever, H, the

steiii J is suspended within the tube E, and

5o adapted to be iiioved vertically tlierein. To

the lower portion of the steni J are secured disks K, which, together with said steiii, are

of conducting material. Tliey are secured the samo distance apart as are the rings C D, and each disk is provided with four or more contact-Springs, L, which are of oval form and secured to said disks with both eiids inward, so as to be very flexible and capable of being nioved in either direction without sticking or binding. From the upper end of steni J a 6o wire, M, leads to the working-resistance. The conductor G being provided with a number of inovable or traveling contact-brushes, F, each separate] y coiinected to a ring, O, and the disk-bearing stein J being in electrical coniiection with the working-resistance and a return or ground line, as the said steni is raised within its coiitaining tube, the brushes or spriiigs upon the disks will be brought into contact with any desired nuiiiber of the rings 7o O, aiid together forin portions of one multiplearc circuit, the coiiductiiig capacity of which niay be thus increased or diiiiinished.

Being arraiiged iii iiiultiple are, as stated, the ai'iiount of current carried through the device will vary according to the nuniber of disks and rings iii operative contact, aiid by raisiiig or lowering the hand-lever H a niotor or other traiislating device eoiiiiected to the wire M iiiay be supplied with more or less current, as So desired.

Having described n'iy inventioii, I claim- 1. The coiiibinatioii of a tiibular coiiductor aiid suitable contactbrushes, adapted to be traveled therein, with a series of fixed insulated condncting-disks separately connected to said traveling bruslies, and means, substantially as described, for nioviiig oiie or inore of said eontact-disks into the work-circuit iii multiple are, substaiitially as set forth. 9o

2. The coiiibination of fraiiie A, tube B, and a series of insulated rings, O, with the steiii J, provided with a series of disks, K, and contact-Springs L, and iiieans for iiioviiig said steni between the rings C and tube B, substaii- 9 5V tially as set fortli.

In testiinony thatI claiiii the forcgoing as iny own I affix iiiy signature in presence of two witnesses.

lVELLINGTON ADAMS.

Titnesses z T. H. ALEXANDER, F. O. MCCLEARY. 

